Get Acquainted with Some Tibetan Etiquettes & Taboos before Travelling

Tibetans have distinct customs and strong cultural values. You must maintain good manners and adhere to their etiquette. Here is a summary of the do's and don'ts in Tibet when you Travel Tibet.

Dining in a restaurant requires specific etiquette. People have to eat and drink in silence. Traditional meals such as tsampa should be eaten with the right hand. Eating with your mouth open is offensive. You should always wait to eat until everyone has been served.

When visiting a Tibetan family

Remember that touching a child's head with your hands is considered inappropriate. If you are welcomed to a Tibetan home, do not approach the entryway. To show respect, always add "la" after a person's name. You may bring little presents with you, which must include barley beer and butter tea. Sit cross-legged or with your feet facing backward. Tibetans usually serve their food and will not stop unless you ask them to. To gracefully decline, fold your hands and bow.

While touring monasteries

Visitors should avoid wearing caps and keep their legs and arms covered when they Travel to Tibet. It is impolite for travelers to wear shorts or skirts, so make sure you are dressed appropriately. Do not touch the things found inside monasteries or temples. Taking photos is only authorized outside the temple. Again, your feet should not face any religious objects or altars. Stay quiet as you pass through the temple where the monks are chanting.

For souvenirs, Barkhor Street offers a large selection of little things. Tibetan knives are not authorized on the journey, therefore you must send them from Tibet. When haggling, you can start at half the price.

When chatting with the locals

The majority of Tibetans are friendly. You will realize this when you Travel in Tibet. Before you snap their photo, be sure you have their permission. Do not be surprised if someone reveals his or her tongue at the initial encounter. This is part of the greeting. Other etiquette includes opening hands and touching foreheads.

Follow our Facebook and Twitter for more information about our product.

Celebration of Tibetan New Year: Losar

The Tibetan New Year, known as Losar, is the pinnacle of Tibetan cultural celebrations among all Tibet festivals, ushering in a new year with an outpouring of joy, tradition, and community spirit. Losar, celebrated with grandeur and fervor across the Tibetan plateau and in Tibetan communities around the world, symbolizes Tibetan culture's complex fabric, merging old rites with contemporary celebrations.

Origins and Significance: Losar originated in Tibet during the pre-Buddhist Bon era, as an ancient winter incense-burning habit. It has evolved over centuries, incorporating Buddhist traditions, and becoming an important symbol of the Lunar New Year. Losar is more than just a New Year's party; it's a deep cultural statement of gratitude, regeneration, and optimism. It's a time for families to gather, communities to interact, and people to reflect on the past and make plans for the future.

Celebrations and customs: Losar celebrations last many days, and sometimes begin with preparations that represent the removal of disasters and ill luck from the previous year. Homes are scrupulously cleaned, and unique decorations are hung, including colorful prayer flags that flap in the breeze, bringing prayers and well wishes to the sky. The eve of Losar is honored with the Gutor ceremony, which entails making a unique soup called guthuk from nine different components. This soup contains dumplings that conceal symbolic things and forecast the fates of individuals who discover them. During your Tibet spiritual tours, you will see the night proceed with rites designed to fend off bad spirits and negative energy. The first day of Losar is dedicated to the family. It begins with greetings and well-wishes, followed by trips to local monasteries to pray and make donations. People wear their finest traditional garb, which adds to the festive atmosphere. The perfume of khapsé, a fried pastry, fills the air, as friends and family pay visits to houses, sharing delicacies and stories. The following days are filled with communal events, such as traditional music, dance, and the hoisting of prayer flags. Monasteries become hubs of activity, with monks performing masked dances (cham) and ceremonies to seek blessings for the next year. Losar provides an unprecedented chance for visitors and enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the depths of Tibetan cultural traditions during their Tibet Overland tours.

Clients Travel Stories: Tibet Travel Experiences by Bimo and Nisa

Get a Detailed Guidance about the Best Tibet Visiting Time

Tibet, located on the world’s highest and biggest plateau, is dry for much of the year because the mountains receive the majority of the rainfall. However, it may get quite chilly and dry, particularly during the winter months (November to March). As per the Tibetan Tour Guide, the optimum season to visit Tibet is from May to October, when the temperature is warmer (above 10°C) and the ice has melted, opening up roadways out of the cities. September through October is the best season to hike, and the rich autumnal hues make for beautiful images; if you want a clean, cloud-free view of Mount Everest, visit then or in April and May.

When to visit Tibet guide

The rainy season lasts from late May or June until September or October, with most of it occurring in July and August. The optimum months to visit Tibet are consequently April and May, or September and October, corresponding to the height of the summer rains and winter snow.

The high season in Tibet lasts from April until October. Traveling during the beginning of the season allows you to enjoy the snow outside of Lhasa with minimal inconvenience. Towards the end, fall foliage tints the countryside, and harvest festivities are held in October.

Winter in Tibet is obviously appealing as per the Tibetan Tour Guide China, with snowy scenery and reduced rates attracting many visitors. However, in December, January, and February, the mountains and hiking routes are unreachable, and many highways may be closed as well.

You may still visit Lhasa in the winter. The days will be dry and sunny, but the wind chill will make it feel much colder. From November to February, night-time temperatures drop below freezing.

There are several holidays in Tibet, one of the most popular being Losar or Tibetan New Year. This takes place in February or March and lasts 15 days, the first three of which are the most crucial.

If you're planning a trip to Everest Base Camp, April, May, and early June, as well as late September to early December, often offer the best views of Mount Everest. You can contact the Tibetan Tours and Travels well in advance for your bookings.

Essential Guide for Indian Tourists: How to Easily Obtain a Tibet Visa and Travel Permit

It might be difficult for Indian tourists to obtain a Tibet visa, but with our in-depth information, you can do it with ease. The goal of this page is to give Indian nationals the most current and comprehensive information possible on how to apply for a Tibet Visa (Tibet Travel Permit), including all the necessary paperwork, application processes, and significant factors.

Is a Tibet Travel Permit or Visa Required for All Indians?

Yes, obtaining a Tibet travel permit before visiting Tibet is required for all foreign visitors, including Indians. The first permission you'll need to enter the plateau is the Tibet Travel permission, sometimes referred to as the Tibet Visa.

The Tibet Tourism Bureau issues the Tibet Visa Permit, which serves as a prerequisite for acquiring further paperwork needed for Tibet excursions. Without it, you cannot cross the border from Nepal to Tibet or travel by rail or aeroplane from mainland China to Tibet.

How Do Regular Indian Citizens Obtain a Tibet Travel Permit?

The necessity for a Tibet visa for Indian passport holders varies according to the various places in Tibet. Indian pilgrims and regular tourists are the two main categories of Indian visitors to Tibet.

The application process for a Tibet travel permit is the same as it is for other foreign visitors if you are a regular Indian traveler with an Indian passport who intends to visit Tibet without going to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.

Your agent will provide the permit to you after it is approved, and the application process normally takes 8–9 working days. It is strongly advised to get in touch with us for the application at least 20 days before your arrival in Tibet in order to guarantee a successful trip, particularly during periods of high tourist demand.

You must apply for a China visa before submitting an application for a Tibet travel permit through us if you intend to enter Tibet from mainland China. From Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xining, and other places, you may fly or use the world's highest train line, the Qinghai-Tibet train, to get to Lhasa.

You must apply for a Chinese Group Visa and Tibet Visa Permit China at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu if you are traveling from Nepal to Tibet. 

Follow our Facebook and Twitter for more information about our product.

Exploring Tibet: Beauty, Resilience, and the Struggle for Identity

Tibet is undeniably stunning on the inside and out, and the "Roof of the World" has a mysterious charm. However, this region is under attack from change after being colonized by China since 1949. Horror stories of cultural repression and heinous human rights violations against Tibetans who are striving for their independence are all too prevalent, and much of ancient Tibet—its geography, society, and architecture—is rapidly being overrun by everything Chinese.

But the Tibetans' dedication to Buddhism is more than any hardship of the past, present, or future; it is ingrained in them, and their unwavering faith is demonstrated by the magnificent monasteries. Any tourist would be wise to learn as much as they can about this fascinating country, and supporting traditional Tibet tourism is a guaranteed way to express your support as well as per Tibet Travel Tips. If you look, you will discover areas of absolute serenity.

What We Rate and What We Don't

Mount Kailash

This black, ice-streaked dome is regarded as one of the most sacred sites in the world by Buddhists, Jains, Hindus, and Bon adherents. This four-sided mountain, which climbs to an impressive 6,368m in one of Tibet's most hostile locations, is traversed anticlockwise by hundreds of pilgrims every year as per Tibet Travel Tips China. With the help of porters and yaks, trekking vacations finish this 52-kilometer round in three days.

Tibet's central region

Yak herders, pious pilgrims, and adventurers explore the rest of this enormous country, but the majority of tourists in Tibet congregate around the major attractions near Lhasa and Everest Base Camp. Adventuresome drives will take you past mountains and across the wide plateau for hiking in remote areas of central and western Tibet, as most of this region is unreachable by rail and aeroplane.

The pilgrim circuit in Barkor

When visiting Lhasa, you must see Potala Palace, the former home of the Dalai Lama, but you should also put going on the Barkor pilgrim circuit on your itinerary. You'll have made two rounds before you know it, we promise. The religious circumambulation is a kilometer long and wraps around the Johkang Temple's outer perimeter in a captivating wave of humanity.

Reminder: You must get a Tibet Travel Visa before traveling to Tibet.

Next: My trip to Tibet From Lhasa to the Nepal Border

Trekking Mount Kailash: One of the World’s Greatest Trips

The mysterious Mount Kailash Tour, revered by more than a billion Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains, is arguably the holiest peak in the world. To honor and circumambulate the sacred mountain, pilgrims from all across Asia go through the breathtaking high-altitude terrain of isolated Western Tibet. Despite the elevation, it's surprisingly accessible and one of the best overland journeys in the world.

With its four sides pointing in the cardinal directions, the oddly four-sided mountain rises sheer from the surrounding plain. Four of Asia's major rivers—the Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo), and Karnali—spring from its slopes.

In an epic fight of sorcery, the Tantric magician Milarepa defeated his Bön foe Naro Bönchung, establishing Buddhism's supremacy over the Bön faith that was then practiced by the Tibetans. Hindus believe that Shiva and his wife Parvati reside at Kailash.

Exploring the Circuit of Pilgrimage

One of the traditional treks in Asia is the three-day, clockwise Kailash Trekking. Although it isn't very demanding, you must be physically strong and well-acclimated because it takes you to high elevations, culminating at 5650m at the Drölma-La pass after beginning at 4670m. The days are short, and you can hire porters or yaks from the area to carry your belongings. The monasteries of Drira-puk and Zutul-puk offer basic pilgrim accommodations for the night or the option to camp along the way. Along the way, you will pass three monasteries, dozens of sacred locations with rocks etched with stone mantras, Tibetan nomads, Indian tourists, and Bön pilgrims.

Because of Kailash's immense spiritual power, some people believe that a single round, or kora, of the mountain, may atone for a lifetime's worth of sins. Visitors leave a remembrance of themselves on the mountain at a location called Shiva-tall, usually a piece of clothes or a strand of hair, as a reminder of the previous life they are leaving behind. Some pilgrims crawl like worms around the mountain, performing full-body prostrations, while others strive for 108 circles. Kailash Trekking China is as much a spiritual as a physical experience.

Two Small Measures for Planning a Budget Tibet Tour

The world's highest plateau is Tibet. This enchanted country is the subject of far too many stories and legends, drawing travelers there each year. For travelers on a limited budget, knowing how to organize a Budget Tibet Tour is crucial, regardless of whether they are planning a quick trip to Lhasa, an Everest Base Camp tour, a lengthier pilgrimage tour to Mount Kailash, or an overland trip to Kathmandu. Furthermore, because Tibet is so isolated, travel expenses there are often greater than in other parts of China. For your vacation to Tibet, there are eight strategies to cut expenses.

Participate in a Small Group Tour

Tibet does not allow independent travel by foreign visitors. So you must hire a tour guide to accompany you all the way, and the tour guide fee cannot be reduced. Furthermore, Tibet is huge, and the majority of the prominent tourist sites in various places are separated by long distances. Outside of Lhasa, you cannot utilize public transit and must rent a private vehicle to go there, incurring additional costs. In light of this predicament, numerous Tibet travel firms have launched Tibet small group trips for budget tourists, particularly lone travelers. Joining the Best Price Tibet Tours will save you at least 25% over a solo trip since you can share tour guide expenses, car and driver fees, single hotel supplements, and food costs with other group members.

Take the Train to Tibet. Rather than flying to Tibet

If you just have a little time to spend in Tibet, flying is a speedy method to get there. However, if you have enough time, it is an inexpensive method to board a Tibet train from major Chinese cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xining, and Xi'an. Furthermore, the fastest and least expensive way to go from Xining to Tibet is via rail. By the way, the Qinghai-Tibet railway is worth experiencing at least once because it is the world's highest train for Budget Tibet Tour China and you will witness incredible plateau beauty along the way that you will not see anywhere else.  

Next: Tibet Travel Experiences with Explore Tibet